johnvson90s's reviews
72 reviews

Il visconte dimezzato by Italo Calvino

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? N/A

3.0

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain by James Fallon

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informative reflective fast-paced

3.0

I try to build my judgment of this book on the awareness that who wrote it falls within the spectrum of psychopathy, so I can't "blame" him for the complacency and self-centeredness that transpire from the writing, in fact he admits it himself; I would have preferred, however, that all the personal episodes recounted were something that would frame a more "scientific" essay on psychopathy, in short, I would have liked to read more about psychopathy from a clinical/psychiatric point of view. To help bring down the quality of the book is the writing style reminiscent of the script of the trashy TV series, but I recognize again that this could be another aspect of his narcissism convincing him he can be able to capture the reader this way.
As a woman I couldn’t help but notice that he always portrays women as frivolous people whose sole purpose is to seduce men, and there is no psychopathic trait that can justify such a thought, only misogyny.
However, I went through some of the reviews and I read a lot of people expressing their worries about psychopaths walking among us, and here, in this particular point Fallon did, in my opinion, hit the mark, it really makes you think. I even liked when he sort of called out some of his acquaintances for getting cold towards him once they found out about his brain scan.
I think I actually appreciate him as a scientist, he’s undeniably brilliant, if only he had put his genius mind into this book…

This Is How by M.J. Hyland

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced